Nana Akufo Addo was speaking on Oman FM and Net2 TV yesterday when he stated his position.
Spotting an African wear, in response to the hot weather, Nana appeared to be taunting his opponents who recently attempted to poke fun at his sense of fashion.
He stressed that it would be erroneous for him to support any candidate, given the fact it was the constituency executives and membership who knew the best candidates in their areas.
‘Why would I want to impose candidates on these areas when I would want us to have the best personalities to assist us in winning the elections? It is only those who live in such areas who understand such things,’ he said, adding, ‘I have many friends and that is how come I emerged the flag-bearer but when it comes to selecting parliamentary candidates, I must go with the delegates’ choice.’
He hinted that he would lead Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, Chairman, and Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, General Secretary of the party respectively on what he has dubbed a national reconciliation tour of the country.
The tour would come on the heels of Saturday’s nationwide primaries to choose the party’s parliamentary candidates for the 2012 elections.
The nationwide tour, he explained, is intended to reconcile those who won and others who were not chosen to ward off the usual bad blood which features in the aftermath of such internal electoral exercises.
The last nationwide tour, he recalled, was intended ‘to prepare the grounds for the final activity on Saturday and to dispel rumours that I have preferred candidates’.
Delegates, he said, are going to choose persons ‘who would serve as my field commanders’.
Speaking on a broad-spectrum of issues pertaining to the NPP, he pointed out that the main campaign of the party towards the 2012 elections would follow the reconciliation tour.
‘There is the need to ensure that those who won and the defeated come together to champion the cause of the party, towards winning the forthcoming elections and the only to do this is through such a reconciliation tour,’ Nana Akufo explained.
The NPP would engage a polling station-based approach for the 2012 campaign, Nana hinted, adding that officials in such areas knew the terrains best and were in a better position to campaign for the party.
‘The campaign is going to be spearheaded by the polling station executives in the constituencies,’ he said.
Speaking about the quality of aspirants, Nana Akufo Addo said it was the prerogative of delegates to choose the persons they wanted to represent the party. ‘Let us leave the selection to the constituencies. This is in the interest of the party.’
Activities towards the 2012 elections, Nana said, were going on well and explained that while it was unusual for constituency executives to support candidates, elders in constituencies could state their opinions about the eligibility of candidates because they understood the areas and its constituents.
His reaction was prompted by a query from some concerned party persons that Hon Osafo Marfo is supporting one of the candidates in his constituency. He added, ‘I can’t point at any breach on the part of Osafo Marfo as an elder of the party in his constituency.’
Things so far have moved according to schedule, given also the reduced number of petitions and other challenges besetting the party at this time, he observed.
When the expanded voting system was adopted, there were persons who doubted whether it would work, he said, explaining however that so far so good. Saturday’s activity, he said, would be the final exercise, adding that he expects that the party supporters would make it a successful activity.
His last word was to the effect that delegates should let peace reign when they go to the polls on Saturday so that Ghanaians would better appreciate the fact that this was a political grouping which could make a difference in the situation of the country. Continued…
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